My Pix Show 04

Friday, April 30, 2010

Good morning. It's still a bit early to see what the weather holds for us today. I have just been watching the weather channel for about 15 minutes to see what the forecast is, but they seem to be discussing everything except the weather. So I guess I will just wait and see.

Check the date here!! Do you realize that today is the last of April? Four months have just flown by, and tomorrow is the first of May!! I remember when I was very young and celebrating May Day was a day to deliver little baskets of flowers to neighbors and shut-ins, and dancing around a Maypole.

Today is the last day that I will be posting the links for the Magickal Scraps Daily Download kit. Our forum is safe to go back to, so you will be able to go back there for the links starting tomorrow. What a nice feeling to have our forum back together again. And the challenges will be starting up again too. Unfortunately, the news isn't so good yet for our shop. That will still take a while before it can be re-built.

Yesterday afternoon, Tootsie had xrays to determine what and where the lump under her jaw was. It showed that the lump was not attached to any bones, so there was still the possibility that it is an abscess, and can be treated with antibiotics, which we started last night. She also had a biopsy done, and hopefully we will get those results back later today.

For now, she is taking pain meds along with the antibiotic and her regular meds. All this on top of her chemo. She has two more treatments today, and hopefully we will not have to go back for anything else for another month. Any wonder why I love this little girl so?

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How about some really pretty tulip photos today? Tulips come in so many different colors and styles, it is just amazing. Here are some really beautiful purple fringed ones, some with peppermint stripes, and some near by daffodils.

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I just looked out the window, and lo and behold!! The sun is peeking out over the tops of the trees, so I guess we are in for another gorgeous day. I can really dig this wonderful weather. It's time for me get us ready for Tootsie's morning chemo appointment.

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I posted your April Day 30 link earlier, so you will find it just below this post. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Tis a rather early morning and still dark out. Tootsie and I awoke and decided to stay up. She needs to have a bath shortly, (today is Chemo day) and I'm working on my first cup of coffee. We have a few hours before we leave for her appointment, so I thought I would chat a bit here.

Ooh, ooh,ooh. I see the daylight beginning to break outside my window. It's too early to tell what it will be like, but hopefully it will be nice. The branches on my rose bush are moving a bit, so I guess it's a bit windy. We can live with that.

I have a cute photo to share with you. My daughter in law, Janet, brought me a tee shirt that her sister had sent over for me. It has the seven dwarfs on the front of it, so it's quite perfect for me!!

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I also have a new scrap layout to share. This one is made with the template supplied by Nani at our Pre Journaling Camp meeting, and features photos that I took of raindrops on flowers and leaves. As you can see, my style of journaling is very short, hence the reason why I really do need these classes. However, I still like my layout.

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I'm also sharing a close up of one of the photos in the layout (bottom right). If you look really close at the raindrop in the middle of the photo, you can right through it to the leaves on the other side of it. Either that, or it's a reflection of the leaves in front of it. I'm not sure, but it doesn't matter anyway. I thought it was quite pretty and worth sharing.

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Just before I turned in last night, I posted your April Day 29 download preview and link. You can find it just below this post. Now I have finished my coffee, and need to give Tootsie her bath. Got to look spiffy for her appointment! Till tomorrow, Y'all have a magnificent day.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

April 28, 2010*Gosh, Tootsie and me are up very early this morning. We got up about 4:15 and decided just to stay up. So I have been very busy putting together previews and links for May's daily download kit. Gosh, I didn't realize it was going to take such a long time to do this, but it's almost finished.

Outside my window, it's looking like we may just get some sunshine today. Woo Hoo!!!! I can only take so much of the dreary gray stuff. I need the sunshine to get my energy level up. although I suppose we are all like that.

I managed to work a little more on my new stuff. Pretty soon I will have some previews to show you. Next I need to work on my new QP's. Also, we might even have new challenges in the forum to work on this month. That would be nice.

Yesterday, I went outside to get some photos of the raindrops on the plant leaves. It is very interesting trying to photo the little beads of water. I even tried to get some with reflections in them. Those, I'll save for tomorrow. Today's photos are of the beads of water on the lily leaves.

The next photo is of a section of Lily Of The Valley that is getting ready to blossom. All they need is a little sunshine and they will be little bells.

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Today, I have to call Tootsie's doctor. When she goes for her chemo this week I want her doctor to check a rather large lump under her jaw. I get very nervous when I find these type of things. I don't think I'm going to let them do any invasive tests on her though. This little girl has been through an awful lot already and does not need any more tests that aren't absolutely necessary to her health.

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We had our Pre Journal Camp Meeting yesterday, so now I have to get busy and make a layout, using the new template and journal mats that Nani gave us.

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I think that's all my news for today. Time to make some coffee!! lol. I posted your April Day 28 downlink earlier. You can find it beneath this post. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

April 27, 2010*This morning is a bit rainy and gray. But not to be dismayed! The Pre Journal Camp Meeting is today, and this is the start of five fun weeks learning about better journaling. If you haven't had a look into it, do visit Nani at http://chroniclesofnani.blogspot.com/. It should be very interesting, and there are lots of nice bonuses and freebies each week. Be good to yourself, and go have a look.

Last night, I got lost in designing some new stuff. It felt good to be back at it. Pretty soon, I'll have enough of it ready to bundle it up. Hopefully, our shop will be back up and running again soon. Our forum is safe now to use, and soon we will have new challenges there. I know that us "ladies of the forum" have certainly missed gathering together there.

The only news that I have for today is that Howie is still in the VA hospital and doing well. Moo and some of the dwarfs visit him regularly, and bring him lots of goodies. The bruise on my arm that I got last Monday morning hasn't begun to disappear. I tell you, I really am a klutz sometimes. Last Monday morning, I bumped my arm on the little round door knob on the closet door, and I got a nasty round purple bruise the same size as the knob. By the end of the day, the bruise was the size of a baseball. It still is. Here is a photo to show you what I mean. Isn't this awful? Unless I wear long sleeves, I can't even hide it. Yish!!

I have a couple more photos of Spring flowers to help cheer us up on this dreary, wet day. Daffodils and tulips are just so beautiful. Who am I kidding? I think all flowers are beautiful!! And they are!!

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Now I'm off to wash some scatter rugs. What else is new? God love that little girl of mine. This is one hobby she really gets into. (peeing on scatter rugs!) I have no clue why she does it, nor do I know how to get her to stop it. At this point in time, life is too short to get overly excited about a little pee on a washable scatter rug. I'm at a point where it is smarter to pick my battles, and this is not one I choose to get ruffled about.

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I posted your April Day 27 download earlier. You can find it just below this post. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantastic day.

Monday, April 26, 2010

This morning is damp and gray, and a bit on the cool side. However, I learned this morning that today is National Boob-Quake Day.

According to the man on the radio, it seems that an Iranian cleric proclaimed "Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes."

A young lady in California who disagrees heartily, has started a facebook group proclaiming today as National Boob Quake Day, and as of 7:30 this morning already had over 40,000 supporters. The idea is for women everywhere to celebrate by showing as much cleavage (as legal) as they can today to see if any tectonic movements occur. My information was gotten from the radio announcer this morning.

Those of us wearing tee shirts will just have to flash quickly every now and then. We may not start an earthquake, but there sure will be a lot of very happy men today. My oh my, what's next?

Before I left work this morning, I took some photos of the beautiful tulips growing in the yard. I know they not uncommon, but they are just so darn pretty, that one can't help but stop and take pictures.

This second photo intrigued me, so I played with it a bit in Photoshop, and came up with something a bit "artsy." I rather like it.

That's it for my rambling today. Now it's time to give Tootsie her meds, and maybe do a speck of housework. I posted your April Day 26 download earlier. You can find it right at the bottom of this post. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Good morning, even if it is a bit cloudy right now. On my way home from work this morning, I stopped to get a McDonald's breakfast for myself and Moo. I only do this once in a great while, so it's a treat. Tootsie likes it too, because I share my breakfast with her. And she deserves it. She is such a treat to come home to.

Let me ask you a question. When you look at trees, what do you see? I guess your answer would have a lot to do with your age. When I was younger, I saw what a lot of you see. Trees, large and small, green, brown trunks (mostly), some flowering. Then along comes that magickal age of 60. Now you start noticing how truly beautiful these trees really are.

By 70, you're in awe of the number of colors that is in these same trees. On just one street, the colors of the leaves range from hundreds of shades of green, yellow and white, russet, mahogany, brown, red, auburn, plus the whites, pinks, rose and yellow of the flowered trees. And this is Spring time, not Autumn!

Now where did all of this come from? Actually, it was right there all along, but it took a bit of maturing on our part to actually see all of it. Maybe that's part of why they call these years "Golden." Before it's time for us to journey on, we have one more chance to take notice of the beauty that is around us, and that we have taken for granted most of our lives. So go out and take a good look at the trees near you. They really are magnificent.

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I have a couple of photos to share that I took this morning on my way home. This tree is just up the street from my house. It's absolutely gorgeous!!!

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And here is a close up of this magnificent beauty.

Now on to my dancing attempt. Yestrerday, I did do a little bit of two-stepping with a speck of fox trot thrown in. Well, let me tell you. This was not my brightest moment. I thought that every part of me already ached a bit, but I was wrong. The dancing brought out even more hurts. And on top of that, it took my breath away!!

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And Crookness, you are absolutely right! All the dancing in the world won't do anything for my face. I watch all the ads for the face lifts and the boob lifts, and I wonder what the point is. After all the work is done, and you look ten or fifteen years younger, you still have old arms and hands.

Yeesh!!

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Enough of my gabbing. I posted your April Day 25 link earlier this morning. It's just below this post. And I have another QP freebie for you. This one also matches the "Spring Sunshine" kit. Now I'm off to give Tootsie her meds, and then maybe catch a nap. Tonight is another work night. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantastic day.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Tis a beautiful sunny morning here in New England. I posted the April Day 24 preview and link already because I got up late and had a few things to do before I could sit and chat. If you missed it, you'll find it just below this post.

There isn't much new to talk about this morning. I have laundry and housework to do today because tonight is a work night. Getting back into my work schedule seems to take a bit longer these days. Must have something to do with that "Golden Years" thingy.

This morning I have a couple of photos of a robin that was looking for food in the park the other day. Actually, there were quite a few of them, all busily scurrying here and there looking for food and things that would make a nice nest. They didn't seem to mind the people around, as long as they kept their distance.

When I was younger, I remember seeing planes that would fly by with an advertisement waving behind them. While I was trying to get photos of the clouds which were moving quite fast, one such plane flew by overhead and I took a few photos of it too. You can also see the darker rain clouds moving in. I did take a few photos of the sky that day because it was changing so quickly.

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Last night I was able to start a couple of new kits for our store which, hopefully, should be re-opening sometime soon. Then, of course, I will have to learn all over again how to upload things to the store. I guess we all will, though.

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I will leave you now to get started on my day. Tomorrow, I should have another freebie for you. Till then, Y'all have a fantastic day.

Friday, April 23, 2010

It's a bit gray this morning, so I guess I'll have to wait a while to see what kind of day we'll have. Yesterday, we had a bit of everything. It started out rather nice and sunny. Then around noon it started to rain. After a while, the rain was coming down really heavy, accommpanied by some thunder and lightning. Before we knew it, the rain turned to hail stones. This only lasted a few minutes, and was followed by a sun shower. Mother Nature was very busy.

This morning, I won't chat too long because I have to look up some information for a friend, and then I have a late morning appointment to get my nails done. After that, I think I need to do a bit of the dreaded housework stuff. Oooh, oooh, I think I see a speck of sun shining outside my window. Oh I hope so.

I have a photo to share with you today. Tuesday night, I stepped outside to put some trash out, and noticed the gorgeous night sky. It was shades of dark blue with dark clouds rolling by. So of course, I came in and got my camera to see if I could get a decent photo of it. This is what I got.

"Night Sky" 04-20-10"

Shortly after I took this photo, all the clouds were gone and we wereleft with a clear dark sky filled with stars. Just beautiful. Now I think I will post your April 23 download link, and the QP freebie that I promised you. As I mentioned before, the QP matches the "Spring Sunshine" kit, and I will have one more for you in a few days, from this same kit. Now I'm off to do get some things done. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

April 22, 2010*It's a lovely sunny morning to be waking up to. Yesterday, I planted my first flower for the season, and set the little pot on my window sill. I just checked, and so far, no sprout. The Easter Bunny had left me a basket of colored eggs that each contained a flower seed. They are mostly pansies because that is one of my favorite flowers. What a neat idea!! I shall have to start the rest of the seeds this week.

Now for some disturbing news. I opened a copy of the AARP magazine this week, and there was a "bigger than life" photo of Tina Turner staring up at me. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a jealous type of person. But there is something definitely wrong with this picture. That lovely lady is the same age as me, and I'm still sitting here wondering what went wrong with me! We are both 70 years old, yet she looks like a gorgeous youngster and I look like a garden gnome. This is just not fair!!

Tell me, am I the only one out here with this problem? Moo says it's because she dances. Well let me tell you, I am going to start doing a bit more dancing around here. And in my yard. And at work. And who am I fooling? I will just look silly, and I'll still look like a garden gnome!!! Thank goodness for Tootsie. She still thinks I'm beautiful. (Because I feed her treats!!)

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Our new neighbor, Rocky (or Rosie) Raccoon, paid us a visit yesterday. The raccoon does not act like it feels all that well, or another thought - she might be pregnant. So Moo put out a pan of water for it, and I took some pictures.

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I know these animals are quite pesky, but you have to admit that they are just beautiful. Look at that gorgeous little face! I'm thinking that she is just looking for food to feed a family that she is planning on having soon. So we will have to make sure that no one hurts her.

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Now it's time for me to start my dancing. I will post your April Day 22 link and be on my way. I was going to post a QP for you, but I forgot to get a link for it. I will post it for you tomorrow. Till then, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Mmmmmmm!! I just took my first sip of coffee this morning, and oh, does it ever taste good! I used to drink quite a lot of coffee, always had a cup nearby. Now I usually only have one or two cups a day. I'm not really sure why I slowed down so much. I recently cut out an article that says how coffee is good for you.

According to this research, drinking three or more cups of coffee a day reduces stroke risk by 48 percent. Another study found that people who drank three to five cups of coffee a day had a 65 percent lower risk of developing dementia than those who drank little to none. Research also shows that coffee may help prevent Parkinson's disease, type-2 diabetes, liver cancer and gallstones.

Obviously this is not true if you are pregnant. During pregnancy, less coffee is better. More than 200 mg of caffeine a day (one to two cups of regular coffee) increased the risk of miscarriage in pregnant women by 25 percent.

Now I shall have a second cup of coffee, and share some photos with you. Today, I have another magnolia tree for you. I took these photos Monday on the way to my doctor appointment. The tree was in someone's front yard, and the owners were out working in their yard. I stopped and asked permission to take the photos. This is such a pretty flowering tree.

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And this is a close-up to show it's beautiful flowers.

Today, I have some laundry to do

(scatter rugs) lol, and then I think I might just do a bit of designing. I need to make a few more elements to finish up the month of June DD's, and then I'll be caught up through September. I also want to build up my supply of QP's. Tomorrow, I will have another QP freebie for you to match the "Spring Sunshine" kit.

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I'm off now to start my day. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a splendid day.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Gosh, it's so late this morning, but I just did not want to get out of bed . Poor Tootsie, she kept letting me know that it was time to get up but I kept ignoring her. This was my first whole weekend back to work, and I guess the lack of sleep was a shock for my body. Because it's so late, I won't chat very long.

At my doctor appointment yesterday, I learned that what I have is Gouty Arthritis. So I guess that is better than Gout, although it hurts just as much. I never heard of it before. After I got home, I got Tootsie and my camera and the rental lens and we went to the park.

Much as I love the new lens, it is just a bit too heavy for me to carry around, and therefore it wouldn't be used enough to justify buying it. I did try it out for a while, but there wasn't much room to set up a tripod. There were lots of people there with their children and dogs. I finally put my 70-300 mm lens on, and was able to get some photos.

The weather was just gorgeous, and we stayed at the park for at least a couple of hours. On the way home, we stopped at a Dairy Queen, and had ourselves a Hawaiian Blizzard. Mmmmmm!! What great way to finish off our outing.

I did get a couple of neat photos that I would like to share with you today. There is a small, but rather pretty, waterfall at the park. I have never had a chance to photograph one, so I gave it a try. The pictures are rather interesting, so I shall try it again another day.

And here is a close up.

It's almost time to make lunch for Tootsie and me, so I'll post your April Day 20 link and be off now. Y'all have a magnificent day.

Monday, April 19, 2010

It's too early to say what today's weather will be like. Yesterday morning when I posted my blog, it was pouring rain. Right after I clicked "Publish Post" the rain stopped and the sun came out. The rest of the day (while I tried in vain to get some sleep) was just lovely. On my way out to the car last night to come back to work, it was raining again. Go figure!!

At the moment, it is not raining, so hopefully it will be another lovely day. For weather, anyway. For me, it hasn't started out so good. I banged my arm on the knob on a closet door this morning, and now I have a large purple lump on my arm. During the night, I squeezed a finger on something, and there is a nice little purple lump on that finger. Have I ever mentioned how clutzy I've become in my "Golden Years?"

I hope to get to the park this week to play with this rental lens. I have to return it in two weeks, and I haven't had much of a chance to play with it yet. It's a bit on the heavy side, so I can't just leave it on my camera and carry it around with me.

Today I have a couple more photos of tulips that I took yesterday morning. Even in the rain, they are just beautiful. Have a look.

This afternoon, I have an appointment with my orthopedic doctor to hopefully get the results from the blood tests. And Moo should get the results of his scan this week too I hope. Some days I swear that my home has turned into a nursing home. Between Moo, Tootsie and me with our maladies, and each of the dwarfs with their own problems, we have turned into a health care facility. The only big difference between us and a regular facility is that the government doesn't give us money to help with our expenses.

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Enough of my raving. I will be getting ready to go home pretty soon, so I will post your April Day 19 download link. The sun is shining now so I guess it's going to be a pretty nice day after all. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Good morning Mrs. Manfink!! It's so good to hear from you. I've missed chatting with you. Is it dismally gray and soggy where you are? No? Well it is here!! And of course, Audrey just had to call yesterday and tell me about their 90 degree weather there. That girl can be so mean at times!!!

Last night at work just before dusk, I looked out and saw a lone deer across the street in the field. Of course I grabbed my camera and went outside to see if I could get any decent photos of it. The photos that I did get were taken hand-held. One of these days I'm going to remember to put my tripod in the car. It would have come in mighty handy last night. However, this is one photo that I can share that's not too bad.

This next photo was taken from my car on my way home this mornng. The magnolia trees are starting to lost all their beautiful blossoms, so I thought I'd best get a photo before it was too late. When the sun comes out, I will try to get some close-ups.

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There's not much more to say this morning. I did not get many winks last night at work, so Miss Tootsie and I will be going in for a nap shortly. That poor darling puts up with a lot. When I'm cold, she has to put on a sweatshirt, and when I'm tired she has to go to bed! LOL!

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I'll post your April Day 18 link and be off to dreamland here. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a grand day.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

It's another soggy gray day here this morning. Our duck population must be flourishing! You know the old saying "It's lovely weather for the ducks!" Actually, I wonder if ducks really do like so much rain. Hmmmmm. I must look that up one of these days.

Well, it's looking like I'm almost back to work full time. I've already been back to my night shifts, and in a couple of weeks I'll be back to doing my day shift too. Yuk, yuk, yuk! The time off sort of feels nice. However, the pay checks are rather skimpy. sighhhhhhhh.....

The good news is that Journal Camp will be starting up really soon now. I hope you all had a chance to check this out at http://chroniclesofnani.blogspot.com/. Last night, I was going through some of my older layouts (even the newer ones), and I see where I really need to learn how to put more journaling on them. This Journal Camp will be good for me. Sometimes I have lots to say, but don't know quite how to put the words on paper, so I leave them off.

Also, last night, I almost finished up another Christmas gift that I have been working on. I am making the bulk of it on my computer, and it's really looking pretty good. I can't tell you too much because I don't want to give away the surprise. I think I will take up my knitting again too. Knitting is very relaxing and I can make nice gifts this way too.

Have any of you started a new holiday box (or drawer) yet? Now is the time to do it. My holiday drawer is half full already. The only problem I seem to have is that sometimes I forget to get everything mailed out on time. What can I say? It's not easy being smart and beautiful too. (That's what my little dog tells me anyway!)

Today I have some regular laundry to do (for a change!) because tonight is a work night. I will post the links for Part Two of "Spring Sunshine" along with your April Day 17 link. Now I'm off to start the laundry. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Friday, April 16, 2010

April 16, 2010*Tis a wee bit wet this morning. I was going to try out the rental lens at the park today, but when I got up it was raining. I don't mind a little rain, but not with someone else's lens. It's only supposed to last for a couple of days, so I'll have other chances.

Yesterday, I did get out for a while. My first errand was to get the dreaded blood test over with. Man oh man, I am the biggest baby when they bring out the needles!! I told the technician to hurry and do it fast, and I then I tried to focus on something else. Then she picks up a ton of glass vials, all with different colored caps. I'm horrified now!! "Those surely aren't all for me, I hope!" She just smiled at me. Next I told her "I have to keep most of my blood so that I can drive home. Maybe I'll just go now and save you the work!"

Now she knows I'm nuts. "Ma'am, this won't hurt a bit, and don't worry - you have plenty of blood." (Famous last words!) Then I hear her saying "Ma'am, could you please undo your fist? Ma'am, would you undo your fist please? " Then she starts prying my fingers apart, one at a time. By now, she's trying not to laugh at me, and I can't wait to get out of there. Did I mention that I am deathly afraid of needles?

Next I stopped at the supermarket to pick up some doggie food and coffee. As the cashier was ringing up my purchase, she smiled at me and said "My my, your dogs will be happy with all this." I just smiled back and said "I only have one little dog, and I'm stocking up while the food is on sale." (I had thirty doggie dinners.)

Onward to the bank and Walmart, then home. When I was at Walmart, I was not able to park in the handicap parking section. You'll never guess who was parked in two of these spots!!!!! The first and third spaces were occupied by Government Official cars, and neither had a handicap tag. Don't that beat all?

Enough rambling for today. I have a new kit for you, and as I mentioned yesterday, I will post it over two days. This kit was made for the March color challenge, and I call it "Spring Sunshine." I'll also post the April Day 16 download link.

Now I'm off to wash some more scatter rugs. Miss Tootsie has been busy lately. LOL. Till tomorrow, Y'all have a magnificent day.

Hugs, Edna B.

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"April Day 16"

"Spring Sunshine - Part One"

Note: This preview is of the whole kit. Here are your download links for "Spring Sunshine - Part One"